Originally, highway utility poles were wood, steel or concrete, but such poles provided rigid resistance to impact from vehicles. As a result, when a vehicle struck such a utility pole the occupants of the vehicle were commonly subjected to extremely severe, or even fatal, injury. This result led to the development of highway utility pole structures which greatly reduced the high incidence of such injuries. In fact, utility poles utilized on federally funded highway projects must now meet rigid breakaway performance criteria. The present required breakaway performance criteria are set forth in the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials Publication entitled "Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaries and Traffic Signals 1985."
To meet these requirements, highway utility poles have been constructed of lightweight materials such as aluminum and fiberglass. The latter material has proven to be particularly desirable not only in meeting the breakaway performance criteria, but also because such utility poles are not electrically conductive. Thus, when fiberglass poles are broken the pole itself can not serve as a conductor. This is a definite advantage attributable to the fiberglass utility pole.
Electrical service is frequently provided to utility poles by underground lines, and the hollow interior of even the non-conductive utility poles serves as the path along which the electrical service lines may extend to provide the desired electrical power to lights, or the like, mounted at the top of the pole, or to whatever height required. An access port is typically provided in the utility pole, normally at a height which can be reached by a worker standing on the ground or on a relatively short ladder. Such access ports are each provided with a closure hatch that have heretofore employed a metal screw and metal bracket, or bar, to secure the closure plate in position over, or within, the access port. The wires extending within the hollow utility pole can contact the bracket and/or the screw. If the insulation on one of the wires within the pole is abraded, or if a bare wire otherwise comes in contact with the bracket or screw, anyone touching the screw either directly or with a conductive screw driver can be exposed to electrical shock. Inasmuch as many currently installed utility poles are manufactured with non-conductive materials, the only electrical path to a person removing the cover is through the screw and bracket. This can virtually assure that the person removing the closure hatch will be subjected to an electrical shock. When a conductive pole is used, an electrical circuit is completed between the screw and the pole through the bracket employed by the closure hatch assembly.